Month: April 2023

Source: United States Navy

The award comes while George H.W. Bush and George H.W. Bush CSG are on a regularly scheduled deployment to the U.S. Naval Forces Europe-U.S. Naval Forces Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) area of operations (AO).

“This award is recognition of the grit and determination of the crew of George H.W. Bush,” said Rear. Adm. Dennis Velez, commander, CSG-10, George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group. “I am extremely proud of Capt. Pollard and his crew. George H.W. Bush is the centerpiece of our strike group, and the Avengers’ teamwork and professionalism – whether supporting our embarked staffs and squadrons, increasing the NATO Alliance’s capability and connectedness, or providing integrated deterrence against our adversaries – is second to none.”

In addition to naming George H.W. Bush as the CNAL recipient of the 2022 award and USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) as the Commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet recipient, the message identified which departmental awards each aircraft carrier earned in the competition. .

George H.W. Bush earned departmental awards for Air, Combat Systems, Deck, Damage Control, Health Services, Navigation, Operations, Intelligence, Reactor, Safety, Security, Supply, Weapons, and Carrier Maintenance.

“This award is a reflection of the Sailors aboard our ship who put in the hard work to bring this ship to life each day as warriors, teachers, leaders, and ambassadors at home and abroad,” said Capt. Dave Pollard, commanding officer of George H.W. Bush. “It is also a testament of our young, first line leaders who have held high standards and created a culture of excellence for our most junior Sailors to learn and thrive in throughout work ups and deployment.”

All permanently assigned personnel who were onboard for at least a day are eligible for the Battle “E” ribbon. Embarked staff, carrier air wing, temporary assigned duty, and civilian personnel are not eligible. The Battle Efficiency “E” Awards for Naval Aviation units are outlined in COMNAVAIRFORINST 1650.15N Annual Aviation Related Awards Instruction.

George H.W. Bush is the flagship of CSG-10, George H.W. Bush CSG. CSG-10 is comprised of George H.W. Bush, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 26, the Information Warfare Commander, and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55).

The ships of DESRON-26 within CSG-10 are the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Nitze (DDG 94), USS Truxtun (DDG 103), and USS Delbert D. Black (DDG 119).
The squadrons of CVW-7 embarked aboard the George H.W. Bush are the “Sidewinders” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 86, the “Jolly Rogers” of VFA-103, the “Knighthawks” of VFA-136, the “Pukin’ Dogs” of VFA-143, the “Bluetails” of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 121, the “Patriots” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 140, the “Nightdippers” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 5, and the “Grandmasters” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 46.

For over 80 years, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) has forged strategic relationships with allies and partners, leveraging a foundation of shared values to preserve security and stability.

Headquartered in Naples, Italy, NAVEUR-NAVAF operates U.S. naval forces in the U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command areas of responsibility. U.S. Sixth Fleet is permanently assigned to NAVEUR-NAVAF, and employs maritime forces through the full spectrum of joint and naval operations.

The George H.W. Bush CSG is on a scheduled deployment in the NAVEUR area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., allied, and partner interests.

Source: United States Navy

The awards recognize outstanding contributions to fleet readiness through robust safety practices and policy and operational excellence.

“These awards would not be possible without the safety mindset our Sailors embody every day,” said Capt. Dave Pollard, commanding officer of the George H.W. Bush. “They are the warriors, teachers, leaders, and ambassadors who set and hold the standards of excellence that drive our winning culture.”

In addition to an outstanding safety record, ships selected for these awards have aggressive safety programs that actively contribute to increased mishap prevention, including comprehensive and professional safety reporting.

“Winning these awards is a direct reflection of every Sailor’s commitment to safety, and I couldn’t be more proud of our team,” said Cmdr. Dylan Beyer, the George H.W. Bush’s safety officer. “Winning not one, but two safety awards just goes to show the buy-in to our culture of safety throughout the entire strike group, and across all departments, rates, and ranks. Safe operations increases our lethality, enables us to execute the mission effectively, and return home to our families.”

USS George H.W. Bush is authorized to display the green safety “S” on the ship until the results of the next competitive cycle are announced. The ship will compete with six other afloat commands to be one of the Navy’s nominations for the Secretary of the Navy Safety Excellence Awards, which will be announced at the end of the year.

George H.W. Bush is the flagship of CSG-10, George H.W. Bush CSG. CSG-10 is comprised of George H.W. Bush, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 26, the Information Warfare Commander, and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55).

The ships of DESRON-26 within CSG-10 are the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Nitze (DDG 94), USS Truxtun (DDG 103), and USS Delbert D. Black (DDG 119).
The squadrons of CVW-7 embarked aboard the George H.W. Bush are the “Sidewinders” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 86, the “Jolly Rogers” of VFA-103, the “Knighthawks” of VFA-136, the “Pukin’ Dogs” of VFA-143, the “Bluetails” of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 121, the “Patriots” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 140, the “Nightdippers” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 5, and the “Grandmasters” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 46.

For over 80 years, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) has forged strategic relationships with allies and partners, leveraging a foundation of shared values to preserve security and stability.

Headquartered in Naples, Italy, NAVEUR-NAVAF operates U.S. naval forces in the U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command areas of responsibility. U.S. Sixth Fleet is permanently assigned to NAVEUR-NAVAF, and employs maritime forces through the full spectrum of joint and naval operations.

The George H.W. Bush CSG is on a scheduled deployment in the NAVEUR area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., allied, and partner interests.

Source: United States Navy

The visit came as Commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) Adm. Stuart B. Munsch hosted more than 80 delegates, including the U.S. Secretary of the Navy, the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, and international heads of navies, coast guards, and naval infantries from 38 nations, to include Vice Admiral Adel Jehane, Tunisia Chief of Naval Staff, for the inaugural African Maritime Forces Summit (AMFS) in Sal Island, Cabo Verde, March 20-22, 2023.

“It was an honor to meet and spend time with Brig. Gen. Akremi, and to highlight the value of operating alongside a U.S. Navy carrier strike group,” said Rear Adm. Dennis Velez, commander, CSG-10, George H.W. Bush CSG. “We value our relationship with the Tunisian Armed Forces, and opportunities like this allow us to operate, exercise, and learn from each other.”

Prior to the key leader engagement aboard George H.W. Bush, U.S. and Tunisian Sailors from Leyte Gulf and Syphax performed a combined visit, board, search, and seizure drill.

During the key leader engagement aboard George H.W. Bush, the Tunisian military leaders and U.S. diplomats met with CSG-10, George H.W. Bush CSG leadership to discuss the importance of the U.S.-Tunisian partnership.

During the visit Akremi, Velez, and Franceschi observed an aerial change of command ceremony for Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 140 from the ship’s flight deck, visited the ship’s Task Force Command and Control Center, and dined with CSG-10, Tunisian, and Embassy officers.

Additionally, the visitors toured the ship’s hangar bay to observe the maintenance and teamwork required to maintain ready and capable aircraft in support of the strike group’s mission, observed ship maneuvering from the navigation bridge, and also visited the ship’s tribute room.

CSG-10, George H.W. Bush CSG, is on a scheduled deployment in the NAVEUR-NAVAF area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., allied and partner interests.

George H.W. Bush is the flagship of CSG-10, George H.W. Bush CSG. George H.W. Bush CSG is comprised of George H.W. Bush, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 26, the Information Warfare Commander, and Leyte Gulf.

The ships of DESRON-26 within CSG-10 are the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Nitze (DDG 94), USS Farragut (DDG 99), USS Truxtun (DDG 103), and USS Delbert D. Black (DDG 119).

The squadrons of CVW-7 embarked aboard George H.W. Bush are the “Jolly Rogers” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 103, the “Pukin Dogs” of VFA-143, the “Bluetails” of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 121, the “Nightdippers” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 5, the “Sidewinders” of VFA-86, the “Nighthawks” of VFA-136, the “Patriots” of VAQ-140, and the “Grandmasters” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 46.

For over 80 years, NAVEUR-NAVAF has forged strategic relationships with allies and partners, leveraging a foundation of shared values to preserve security and stability.

Source: United States Navy

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Working in a shipyard environment is tough, especially for the U.S. Navy’s newest Sailors. Not only are new check-ins coming from boot camp trying to figure out their new rating and jobs, but the shipyard provides an even more complex and often difficult physical work environment.

Source: United States Navy

The 2023 Annual DE S&T Symposium focused on sub-systems and component research as well as development aspects of DE in a mixed-access environment. There were symposium sessions at the Open/Public Release and CUI/Limited Distribution levels so that all attendees could participate.
 
LCDR Melissa JonMoore and LCDR Kelsey Rowe, both Meteorology and Oceanography Officers (METOC), attended the conference in the past week and presented their thesis work to a wide range of audiences. Also presented at the conference were Mr. Ryan Yamaguchi, an NPS faculty affiliate researcher, and Ph.D. candidate.
 
“My thesis work analyzed measurements taken from the Coastal Land Air-Sea Interaction (CLASI) 2021 field study to assess the coastal variability of optical turbulence,” said LCDR JonMoore, NPS Student and METOC Officer. “The impact of atmospheric scintillation on optical beams, including High Energy Laser Weapon Systems (HELWS), is related to turbulence perturbations in the index of refraction known as optical turbulence.”
 
DEPS intends to be the premier professional organization for the advocation and exchange of information between academia, industry, service laboratories, and warfighters while continuing to develop and support the next generation of scientists and engineers in Directed Energy.

JonMoore continued “I presented these results during the conference to highlight the strong vertical and temporal variation of optical turbulence within the lowest 12 m of the atmospheric boundary layer where most forecast models do not have sufficient resolution to accurately represent the small-scale turbulent structures.”
 
“As part of the Fog and Turbulence Interactions in the Marine Atmosphere (FATIMA) project sponsored by ONR, my research aims to improve the fundamental understanding of the marine-fog life cycle, focusing on understanding and quantifying the relationship between fog microphysics and their impact on optical propagation,” said LCDR Rowe, NPS Student, and METOC Officer. “Characterizing and forecasting fog is not only vital for operational safety but of increasing importance due to the impact on optical attenuation in applications such as free-space optical communication, use of Electro-optical and Infrared (EO/IR) sensors, and high-energy laser weapon systems.”
 
DEPS serves the DE Community through the volunteer efforts of its nearly 1,000 members. They represent a wide cross-section of the DE community.
 
JonMoore closed her comments about her work and the conference with, “Directed Energy offers a wide range of applications in the battlespace, from improved targeting to optical dazzling, and ultimately, hard kill via High Energy Lasers. A better understanding of how lasers interact with our atmosphere improves our targeting algorithms, offering the warfighter a higher probability of kill per shot and therefore helping to keep our sailors safe from rapidly evolving threats.”
 
All presenters worked on their thesis/dissertation under the guidance of Professor Qing Wang in the Meteorology Department of NPS.
 
Her group is actively involved in highly Navy-relevant research subjects such as the impact of the atmosphere on electromagnetic (EM) and electro-optical (EO) wave propagation in addition to the basic understanding of the marine atmospheric boundary layers sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and Joint Directed Energy Transition Office (DE-JTO). Her work is of significant interest to the DE community.
 
Rowe finished her comments by saying, “Increased understanding of coastal fog will enhance our ability to exploit the battlespace and increase lethality in an otherwise mission-limiting environment. Attending the Annual Directed Energy Science and Technology Symposium was an invaluable opportunity to engage with professionals from a comprehensive range of specialties from atmospheric propagation to machine learning and laser beam control. DE is a high-impact field, and I look forward to leveraging the knowledge and connections I gained from this experience to enhance the operational employment of these systems in the Fleet.”
 
All the presented thesis research work was well-received by the audiences.
 
The Directed Energy Professional Society (DEPS) is a professional organization for the advocation and exchange of information between academia, industry, services laboratories, and warfighters to develop next-generation scientists and engineers in Directed Energy (DE) and aid in the research, development, and operational transition of DE technologies. DEPS holds Science and Technology symposiums yearly. This year’s symposium was in San Antonio, Texas from 3-6 April 2023.
 
The Naval Postgraduate School provides defense-focused graduate education, including classified studies and interdisciplinary research, to advance the operational effectiveness, technological leadership, and warfighting advantage of the naval service.
 
Naval Oceanography has approximately 2,500 globally distributed military and civilian personnel, who collect, process, and exploit environmental information to assist Fleet and Joint Commanders in all warfare areas to guarantee the U.S. Navy’s freedom of action in the physical battlespace from the depths of the ocean to the stars.